Chapter III-

The Shadows Beneath


When the darkness echoed in the hollows, footsteps crunched loudly through the frozen gravel, the rhythmic sound of marching ruffling the cloak of serenity gripping the night. The moon, accentuated by the multitude of stars, was tinging the silent, tall trees with its pale silver light while casting shadows beneath its lifeless boughs. No other soul appeared to walk on this path nor did the frozen mud bear the signs of cart or horse tracks.

But then something moved. Instinctively, upon catching this slight disturbance— the only one breaking the tranquility of the night— and upon sensing the weight of someone's gaze from behind, the young soldier halted. Not bothering to look at the source of slight commotion, Seiran spoke in a quiet, placid tone, "I was expecting you... though much earlier in time."

The sound of a twig breaking under the weight of a foot managed to penetrate through the walls of the mist and faintly echoed.

"Then you must be also be aware of the reason I'm here," said another sharp, masculine voice.

After a moment of pause Seiran turned around and asked, disregarding the aggression and irony that lay underneath the man's words, "What is the condition of the situation?"

"The territory is clear. She'll live... at least for tonight," said Ensei in an emotionless tone that didn't quite didn't belong to him.

At the sound of those words, the silver-haired man swiftly threw him a fierce, sharp look, his ominous eyes narrowing into a conscious gesture of aversion and rebuke.

"How long do you think I can stay by Hime-san's side? Times are unpredictable... so are people," Ensei said, his voice calm but expression stern. "Who knows if I might turn my back against you and leave everything behind just the way you did?" he continued, his voice now dripping with hostility and sarcasm.

"Done with your ridiculous speech?" Seiran asked, more tired than frustrated of his incessant, defiant remarks. "Now just shut up and listen," he added while throwing a scroll towards the other man.

Ensei caught it while looking at him, his brows knitted in a little frown of ambivalence, as he wasn't sure where this was heading. However, he opened the parchment to read. The contents of the scroll only caused his head to tilt and his eyes to blink in perplexity. All that he could articulate despite rereading it several times was a faint, little 'huh?'

Noticing the confused expression hooked on the taller man's features, Seiran questioned him in a hopeless voice, his eyes turning into slits of dejection. "Ensei, can you honestly read? Or were you pretending all this time to be a literate?"

"If my eyes aren't deceiving me, it says that you and the Ran princess... " Ensei could not completely take in what was before him now, as he was actually expecting something completely opposite.

"Uh-huh. The fact that you read it right for once reflects that miracles do happen."

"B-but... Damn! None of it makes any sense... Why did her brothers make such a move?" asked Ensei, his eyes wide in utter disbelief.

Contrary to the taller man's reaction, Seiran casually leaned against the bark of the tree behind him, his voice depicting the lack of concern. "To protect and preserve their family honour by throwing mud in the eyes of the world."

"You are kidding me! What is threatening their social status?" the bigger man inquired, slightly bewildered at the thought.

"Well, you see— even the good swimmers can drown," Seiran stated while wearing a slight self-satisfied smile that evoked insolence. After a brief pause he continued, a contemplative expression now gracing his features. "I'm not certain about the details, but it is evident that from the time the Rans suddenly came into picture, things haven't seemed to be getting on smoothly."

"You mean their involvement is somehow disturbing the palace affairs? How exactly?"

"To start off, the five officials who died, or to be specific, assassinated* the last month, were assigned a common task."

"...To protect the Ran princess," Ensei said, confirming more than actually asking. "Recollecting what I've heard from Hime-san, the assassins were behind the consort's life."

"That is what everyone believes to be the entire truth."

"What do you mean?"

"Reality is far more complex than that tale. Strangely, the assassins seem to be somehow connected with the Ran house. And if this piece of information spills out, it is enough to break loose all hell for the Ran clan," replied Seiran.

"In what manner?"

In contrast to Ensei's confused, anxious state, Seiran answered impassively while wearing a serene look, "Without bothering to seek for evidence, everyone would see this organisation as being led by the Ran clan. They would blindly consider the proposal of sending the Ran princess to Kiyoh, as the emperor's consort, as an object to deceitfully gather the confidential information concerning the current political situation and then slaughter the important officials coming in their way. Doing so would destabilize the court, thereby paving a way for the Ran house to gain greater economical and political dominance over the rest of the country. If this is discovered, it would be taken as an unpardonable and indefensible treason."

Ensei let out a whistle in astonishment as he raised his hands to cup the back of his head. "The organisation is doing all of this so that it is seen as the Ran clan's conspiracy against the country?"

"Well, every action of theirs does hint at the clan's involvement, and if that continues, it is just a matter of time before the Censorate gets hold of strong evidence against them," replied Seiran, somewhat pleased at the thought of the Rans.

"But that's still so absurd!" remarked the taller man. "Even if one considers that the Ran clan has a hand in those assassinations, why would they be after their sister's life? It doesn't give others a scope, nor does it make any sense for others to misinterpret the issue."

A small, unexpected, surprised laugh of contempt escaped Seiran's lips, and he said, "People tend to, or rather want to, misunderstand the issues. A single spark is enough to spread the wildfire. Regardless of any sort of reasoning, if the criminal is found to be somehow related with the Ran clan, the consequences would be inevitably terrible. And the girl went unharmed for all the time she stayed in the palace. So isn't it obvious for it to be perceived as a pretense to cover up the truth? "

"Maybe so. But instead of making such a move... " Ensei said while pointing at the piece of paper, "wouldn't it be better to manipulate the situation?"

"Do you think it is that easy to fool the Censorate? Especially with Ki Kouki as its head and Riku Seiga as the investigator of this case?" Seiran asked. "Even so, it doesn't involve a single person but the entire clan. Manipulating it at this level would be extremely difficult, especially when it comes to dealing with those ministers who are a part of the noble faction, as they despise the eight leading clans. As it is a body independent of the other offices, it is impossible to be influenced by any means. And this is not the end of their troubles either."

Seiran paused for a while before continuing. "As long as the girl stayed as consort, the assassinations would continue, and soon their next target would be..." he trailed off, his mind refusing to think of such a possibility.

Noticing the uneasy, disturbed look planted on his face, a wave of realisation crashed through Ensei, and he murmured in a shocked tone, "Hime san!... As she was her impostor."

Brushing off the horrid thoughts from his head, Seiran continued, "And if that were to happen, facing the wrath of the Kou house would be inevitable. As the Kou clan, unlike the Ran, is currently a part of the active politics, they have a lot of support from the other leading noble families. This way the Ran house would also create clashes and erode their ties with the other clans. In short, it would degrade their family esteem and corrode their name. Rather than the law, the issue of their clan's reputation is bothering them."

"So how in the world are they planning to prevent all of this from happening?" the bigger man asked, the expression on his face contorting into one of bewilderment and inquisitiveness.

"To avoid this mess, it was essential to show their non-involvement in these assassinations. They already made their first move by clearing their direct connections with the palace for the time being," Seiran finished dispassionately.

"You mean by asking her to withdraw from the palace as the consort and then... err..." Ensei broke off, faintly sensing the familiar aura of frustration and exasperation emitting from the his old mate. He quickly tried to atone for what he had said, before his listener's mood could worsen. "Well, I understand the first part of it..." the bigger man added hastily in an attempt to cover up for his last sentence, realising that it was rather insensitive and insensible to point it out, given the situation. It would only serve to add insult to injury and awaken the storm of fury, provocation and frustration. "But, not the second," he said while trying a different approach to convey what he meant to ask. "They could fulfill the same purpose by making the Ran princess stay somewhere other than the palace. Why take such an extreme step?" he spoke slowly, his mind lagging as he tried to organise his thoughts.

"Use your brains, Ensei. It's obvious that such a blunt strategy would make no difference. She would still be His Majesty's consort that way. The officials would continue to protect her, eventually becoming victims of the foul play. "

"How can you be so sure that they wouldn't claim the lives of the courtiers after she left the harem?" the bigger man argued.

"Even if that were to happen, the blame wouldn't fall on the Ran house, as there would be no any visible trace of the clan being related with His Majesty or the court. So why on earth would the opposing party bother to assault them?"

"But wouldn't it be much simpler if she just left the harem as the consort without all of this?" Ensei insisted, his voice a little higher than he intended.

"The Ran clan wants a distance between them and the rest of the world, not a wall...or so it seems," Seiran answered thoughtfully while subconsciously casting a glance at the grey sky. The passing dark clouds concealed the moon for a while, thereby cutting the source of pale white light, spreading the darkness.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Ensei asked, failing to derive a sensible and fitting explanation out of Seiran's words.

"Were she to leave the inner palace as the concubine that way, it would mean that the Ran clan, too, was approving of her decision. Though they don't recognize His Majesty as their King, they cannot disrespect him by taking back what they had already given him."

"What difference does it make?" Ensei pressed on further, defending his point. "By giving her to you, aren't they already disrespecting him?" he said to justify his point..

Instead of getting provoked, to Ensei's utter surprise, Seiran just sighed in resignation, weary of answering his vacuous queries. "Idiot, you don't realise the bottom line of the whole story, do you?" the silver haired man asked, his voice tired and irritated. It was no better than explaining to an ape, Seiran concluded as he placed his palm over his temple while shutting his eyes, as though fighting a headache. Yet, it was inevitable as there was no other man he could trust. "The one who's dirtying the hands is the Ran princess and not the Ran clan," he ended monotonously.

"In what manner? From the outsiders' perspective, by letting her do so, isn't the Ran house already approving of her decision?" the taller man emphasized with an almost antagonistic tone of voice. Curiosity and intrigue began to eat away at him as he fought with the urge to find the reason behind such drastic actions to save themselves.

Seiran's arms were folded in front of his chest, his expression suddenly turning serious. He was engaged in introspection as he took in what the other man was saying. He unintentionally shifted his eyes to look ahead of the road that seemed to curve sharply at a distance till it melted among the rolling hills.

"The proposal is far more cryptic and ambiguous than it sounds," he began, delving deeper into the subject. "From the very beginning, everything was planned and made up in such a manner that in the eyes of all the prominent courtiers, the whole blame would eventually fall on her. Convinced by the set up, the ones, who would question and oppose the Ran triplets for withdrawing from their proposal, were of the opinion that the Ran house was forced to move her out, as she seemed to be unworthy to be the empress. They don't perceive this new act to be anything more than a disinheritance," Seiran concluded.

Completely appalled and ridiculed at the revelation of the last words, the taller man exclaimed, "Disinheriting her as a punishment for her so called 'unworthiness?'"

"I never said that she has been 'disinherited.' That is what people have derived out of the situation. Yes, things could have been done as you suggested," he added, ignoring Ensei's look of disapproval that remained on his face. "But the probability of those sort of clean, predictable plans working out would be pretty low due to the involvement of many obstacles."

"Why?"

"The information about the Ran princess entering the harem was known only to the top officials, and so the piece of news regarding her leaving the palace has been disclosed only to those high ranked courtiers. Meaning— the opponent is possibly somehow associated with one of these ministers or is amongst them. For that reason, revealing the truth by walking the path of honesty wasn't an option as that would be like surrendering to the enemy and falling into the trap," Seiran said.

"But..." Ensei said, still trying to defend his point.

"Let your unreasonable strategies be considered for a while," Seiran said, well aware of what was coming next. "After vacating from the palace, the girl would have to immediately leave Kiyoh, lest it would raise suspicions. And if she did, it would be next to impossible to get hold of the conspirators. Besides, it could possibly reveal everything to the chief plotter earlier than it should. Furthermore, that sort of plan could lead them into worse political disputes."

"What sort of disputes?" Ensei asked.

"His Majesty had declared that he wouldn't take in more than one concubine and she is the lady, the emperor had finally agreed to take her in as his wife after rejecting a number of proposals for almost two years. For that reason, no one would let her go that easily, even with the aid of Ran clan's power, mainly because she was expected to soon become the empress.

Were she to leave him as soon as she entered the inner palace, the consequences would be different. After staying for that long, even if she were to state her dissatisfaction with the emperor or express her discontentment regarding something similar, her voice wouldn't be counted, nor would that make a basis for her to leave the inner palace. They wouldn't let her go that easily— at least not until they had an heir to the throne, thus ensuring the court's long term relationship with the Ran family. She would need her clan's power to leave the palace," Seiran further explained.

"Well, would that be a better option?" Ensei suggested.

"And as I mentioned earlier, no noble clan has any right to take back what they gave to His Majesty, unless they have a strong, crucial reason. Else it would only serve to insult the Royal family," Seiran continued. "Even if the triplets had managed to drag her out of the harem without an explanation, it would offend the court. Though the Ran clan doesn't recognize him as their King and despite keeping their distance from politics, they cannot, by any means, dishonor him. It would not only also cross the limits put up by their ancestors, but it would also shatter the ties between them and the Shi clan, probably to a level that will remain irreparable and strained for ages.

More importantly, after everything gets cleared, the heads of the Ran clan probably intend to send another sister of theirs to the harem. If things had gone that way, the court would straight away decline any sort of association with them. This gives them another compelling reason to wipe the opposing union so that it doesn't repeat all over again in future," explained Seiran.

Not entirely convinced, Ensei opened his mouth to interrogate. Knowing well of what Ensei was trying to say, Seiran interrupted, his even-tempered, placid composure now turning into aggravation and impatience. "There were probably some other ways of preventing all these consequences. But carrying them out would give enough time for the rival to come up with something else.

"All of this is being done to shift the base for this warfare without wasting much time while simultaneously avoiding any sort of political crisis. And the only efficient means of doing so was to quickly make a move to track the enemy and then wipe their roots from within without any involvement of the palace in this matter. In the future, the Ran triplets are going to make up things and complicate the issues so as to prompt the organisation to be behind the Ran princess," the silver haired man said. "In a nutshell —she is the bait and this false wedding a trap for them."

By saying all of this together, he left Ensei speechless, making him unable to question any further. "I'm not here defending the Rans, but they aren't foolish as to make such a move," Seiran said in a tone of finality while returning a frown of annoyance. "Nor am I to blindly sign the agreement."

A moment of silence fell between the two, creating a slight shift in the atmosphere. "You sound like an ambitious politician, guided by expediency rather than principle," Ensei said while chuckling in silence. Whether the comment was meant to be sarcastic or complimentary, it was impossible to figure out; but judging from his personality, Seiran presumed it to be the former.

"Put it however you want, but I don't see the need to exaggerate the issue, as everything that is being done is just pretense," Seiran said, sparks of exasperation now flashing through his eyes.

"But how come you got to play the central role of this fake development?" Ensei asked, reflecting the dubiety Shuurei previously wanted to confirm through Jyuusan-hime.

"Well, it turned out to be so because for some critical reason, it had to be someone close and loyal to the emperor, which, obviously and unfortunately, is me."

At those words Ensei realised a part of what Jyuusan-hime meant by saying, 'that holds half the truth.' when the Kou princess inquired if Seiran was compelled to walk this path. Seiran was presently the only one who could take this mission up and work on behalf of the emperor. Though the issue would never remain uncontroversial, it was indeed difficult to find faults with Seiran's arguments or the lines of reasoning for the actions and decisions that he had initiated.

"And you agreed? That easily?" Ensei asked though he already knew the answer. Though the situation wasn't exactly as intense and as critical as he had comprehended earlier, the question remained the same. He wondered what kind of face Seiran was wearing, but the temporary darkness concealed his face, thereby veiling his expression.

After another long pause, Seiran replied contemplatively, "It's not so simple to be answered with a straightforward 'yes' or 'no.'" He spoke in an unfathomable and inexplicable manner, more to himself than to Ensei. He answered only with half his mind; the rest was elsewhere, distracted by what Ensei couldn't understand. Yet the taller man sensed something more in his voice—that certain something Ensei had been searching for, which Seiran had been apparently holding from the start of their talk and now finally spilled unknowingly. Seiran turned his gaze to stare vacantly into the forest aperture, his eyes glazing at one place and the train of thoughts running somewhere else.

The first time Seiran read about the petition in the Emperor's office, he crumpled the parchment before leaving the room wordlessly. He regarded it ridiculous and trivial, but something compelled him to think it over. Even after he had carefully analysed the amount of truth that had been in their words, his answer had remained the same. That was until further considerations forced him to change his mind.

"I'm not that noble to do all of this without a selfish motive," he continued. "Nevertheless, if any of this causes any sort of inconvenience to Master or Ojou-sama, I will walk out of this mess."

Ensei wasn't sure if he should be worrying that Seiran didn't answer his query straightforwardly. For as long as he could remember, there was always something mysterious about this man. He didn't truly doubt in him, as he knew that Seiran would never trade his self dignity or hurt the ones who loved him. But he feared that in the heat of the situation, Seiran did all of this recklessly to acquire something through dark means while putting himself at stake— just the way he had done a year ago in Sa province to get rid of the man he hated the most.

"Well, considering it from your standpoint, it certainly is not as bad as it initially seemed to be. But being in middle of everything, isn't the Ran princess getting the raw end of the deal? What about her?" asked the taller man.

Seiran's features twisted at those words, depicting slight surprise at that unexpected question, as though that matter was beyond the field of his vision— or rather, boundaries of his concern. However, he answered the query straight away without thinking too much, indicating that he already had given a thought to it. "That's the last thing one needs to worry about because even if things don't stay as schemed, it won't harm the Ran clan from that perspective," Seiran replied, his eyes now reflecting the state of being nonchalant. "And secondly, they are the ones who schemed all of this, so it's simply none of my business."

"So when is this vacation of yours coming to an end?"

"Till they catch hold of the culprits, which they agreed to do so in a specific period of time,"Seiran ended with a sigh.

"What if they fail in this mission?"

"The hell if I care!" Seiran said, rolling his eyes in apathy. "That least bothers me. No matter what happens, I'll walk away after the contract time lapses, and things should return the way they were."

Despite this not involving any sort of collateral damage on his side, he wasn't quite sure of the reason why he was taking this a little hard. After everything else he had to accept in the past, this should be nothing. Maybe it was because just like in the past, he never fancied associating himself with the Ran clan in any way. But more than that, it was probably because it had always just been Shouka, Shuurei and him; there had never been any sort of serious interjection in their lives. Yet he told Shuurei that he had no regrets in carrying out the task. It wasn't a lie, but the perfect truth.

"Woh!" Ensei exclaimed, derailing the train of Seiran's thoughts. "It's all so twisted that my head hurts even at the thought of it," he said, while looking at the parchment.

"I wasn't expecting any better from a pea brain. But, I honestly do hope that you realise the reason I took up pains of explaining all it to a blockhead."

"Uh-huh."

Ensei knew that by revealing all of this, Seiran didn't intend to justify himself. There was a deeper reason behind all his actions— both in the recent past and in the present. The fact that he had delayed the whole plan by extending his stay at the Kou mansion was enough to reflect that, unknowingly, Shuurei's earlier disoriented state had slightly crumpled his initial determination. For Ensei, that momentary hesitation and slight dilemma of Seiran's alone was enough to subside his anger, as it spoke much more than what words could ever express.

Noticing the absorbed expression gracing Seiran's features, Ensei spoke, interrupting the myriad of the other man's thoughts. What was the point fighting for something so trivial yet crucial, something that couldn't be undone? "The reason behind this revelation is to prevent any sort of clashes between us, right?" It was his style of waving the white flag and an attempt to lighten and finally neutralize the slight extrinsic tension hanging in the air between the two.

"Shut up, you jerk!" Seiran exclaimed instantly without any lapse of time in reaction. A typical flustered look was now marking his face.

"All right! All right! I was just kidding! But it is still surprising that out of all the people, you chose me for this."

"Isn't it obvious that I'm just making you return the favors for being a free loader," he said, trying to sound as indignant as possible.

"Ah! That's so mean!"

"Whatever," said the silver haired man while rolling his eyes. "Right now, I've a lot more on my plate to waste any more of my time here with you," Seiran said while straightening his back up, preparing to leave.

"But there's something you forgot. The contract papers."

"No, I didn't, you fool," he replied, leaving Ensei with a confused look on his face.

"Huh? You want keep them with me? Why?"

"What if the Ran triplets have a poor memory?" he stated in a casual tone, wearing a typical, stubborn look as he walked away in the other direction, thereby tracing the path of road. "I don't trust in their blood."

When it came to Ran clan, it wouldn't be surprising if there was something more hidden in the dark. Appearances could be deceptive and, especially in their case, truths never manifested themselves in the most obvious places. If the Ran triplets were playing a dirty game, they would definitely hunt for the agreement papers. Handing them to Ensei was one of the counter measures he was taking.

Realising Seiran's intention of not getting stuck in a real relationship with the Ran family, Ensei asked, articulating each word with a long syllable in a mock threat, "But what if I lose them?"

The silver haired man ceased his steps to glance over his shoulder. Ensei noticed something cold and terrifying flash in his eyes— a look that could freeze any living mortal— which made the taller man realise that his words had just summoned the same, old, ill-tempered Seiran. After a fraction of a second, in sharp contrast to the dark look in his eyes, an evil grin spread across Seiran's face and he said in an emotionless tone, "In that event, I assure you that you'll land up in heaven the next instant." With that, Seiran retreated back into the labyrinth of forest trees and Ensei watched him disappear in the mist at the far end of the twisted road.

Ensei looked at the parchment that Seiran had entrusted to him, and it wasn't long before certain parts of their conversation were strung back through his mind— those which he hadn't initially picked up, at which he realised something.

Perhaps, the Ran princess realised the key of his weakness. It was a little too early to judge, given that he had never even laid his eyes on her, but judging from her style of speech, it looked as though there was something more underlying in her words. Apart from clearing the whirlwind of doubts plaguing Shuurei's mind, maybe she had some other motive behind talking to Shuurei.

Could it be that Jyuusan-hime simply wanted him to withdraw from the framework? The Kou princess was probably the only one that could hold him back from proceeding any further. But instead of prompting him to alter his mind, his talk with Shuurei served to sizzle the slight hesitation he had in approaching her and now, by revealing what he was up to, Seiran managed to pulled the strings over his side, thereby dissolving his impairment into strength. At that instant another thought struck Ensei. From another perspective, it gave an impression that she intended to indirectly expose Seiran to his weakness before someone else could take unnecessary advantage of it— constraining him to reconsider his decision before entering the maze. Maybe it was her way of warning him from the shadows — 'prepare yourself for the worst or get the hell out of the way.' But as Seiran had confidence in his vision, he could efficiently tackle the matter with Shuurei.

Did she want to wake his inner self-conflicts by encouraging Shuurei to converse with him or was there something else she intended to convey to Shuurei in private? Else was it some matter entirely different from what he was anticipating? These were the questions she alone could answer. But no matter what her intentions, it didn't change the fact that Seiran had finally made up his mind to advance.

Though there were things that just didn't fit into the puzzle, Ensei realised something which made him chuckle in amazement. What Seiran apparently hadn't realised was that it wasn't the Ran triplets' moves miles away that he probably had to observe, but instead the girl staying under the same roof as him.

* NOTE : The organisation that Seiran is talking about is the one in which Shiba Jin is the chief assassin.

Author's Word : So here goes the chapter three which, I feel, is insanely too long and, unfortunately, very politic. Yep! Promise not to have any more complicated chapters of this sort in the future.

This chapter too sort lacks luster but it was essential as it gives a strong base to the entire plot. Well, this chapter was more like a debate session, so every minute detail and reason for this 'fake development' had to be mentioned. But yes, there are things that still remain unclear and mysterious but the upcoming chapters will deal with those parts.

Though it took an entire month to finish this, I'm not sure if it reached your expectations or if you'll continue to support me.

Anyways, thank you so much for giving a chance to this story which revolves around an unusual pair.

It would be a great honour and a source of encouragement if you let me know what you honestly feel about the story.